Nation’s moral duty is to aid Iraq’s refugees

Published 5:01 pm Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Muhammed “Hamoody” Jauda, 5, the Iraqi boy who has captured the hearts of his foster parents, and the citizens of Snohomish County and beyond, was granted political asylum on Monday.

The only moral decision that could be made was made.

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the single criteria that could be used in making the decision was whether religious persecution was the motivation for the attack on Hamoody and his family in May 2005.

Good thing they found that proof — we would really send a boy blinded by a shotgun blast back to Iraq?

A year after the attack, Hamoody was brought to Snohomish to live with his foster parents, Randy and Julie Robinett Smith. He’s had two facial reconstruction surgeries at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.

In May, attorney Steve Miller, working pro bono, filed a petition seeking asylum for Hamoody, whose visa expired in May. With the ruling, he can stay in the U.S. legally.

It’s heartwarming how many people have come together to help this boy, whose enthusiasm for life is boundless, thanks to his foster parents, who have created a haven for Hamoody to thrive and learn, and be a boy.

In the meantime, millions of other Iraqis have been displaced by the war.

The United Nations estimates more than 2 million Iraqis have fled to nearby countries like Jordan and Syria. Approximately 20,000 refugees are now living in the U.S., which has been criticized for not doing enough to help. The nonprofit organization Refugees International also blames the Iraqi government, saying that “Iraq has finally provided $25 million to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon,” but has failed to deliver additional assistance, despite numerous requests.

Meanwhile, USA Today reported Tuesday that Iraq is quickly becoming one of the United States’ top customers for military sales. Since January 2007, Iraq has spent $3.1 billion on U.S. weapons. In the past two months, the Pentagon has alerted Congress of a possible $8.7 billion worth of additional sales to Iraq.

The military-industrial complex appears to be winning.

Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff has said the U.S. had to be careful when it comes to helping Iraqi refugees.

“… We also must be mindful of the security risks associated with admitting refugees from war-torn countries — especially countries infiltrated by large numbers of terrorists.”

We would do well to remain mindful of why a country is war-torn, and our responsibility to help those whose lives we helped tear apart.